A member of Team Pacquiao said the Bible Study was held nightly since Monday. The Pambansang Kamao shared his life experiences, pains, and her mother’s sacrifices when he was young. He recalled how they had no food to eat.
“Ano ba’ng gagawin natin anak, wala tayong pera. Uminom muna kayo ng tubig para ‘di kayo magutom,” Manny quoted his mother Dionesia as saying to him and his siblings.
“Napilitan ako pumunta sa ibang bahay, nanghihiram ako ng bigas at kahit anu-ano. Murang edad pa lang ako nang maranasang maging tagahugas ng plato sa karinderya, magtinda ng pandesal, sampaguita at rosas para mabuhay,” said teary-eyed Manny who fought in the streets for loose change.
“Ang mama ko wala naman na-invest na pera para sa future naming. Wala siyang inipon na properties. Isa lang ang minulat n’ya sa amin, na there is a creator, there is a God. Yun lang pinasok ng magulang namin sa isip at puso namin. At yung investment na ‘yun ay nag-grow sa buhay naming,” he shared.
Manny also recalled the time he almost died of typhoid fever and an anonymous family helped him.
“Binigay sila ng Panginoon sa akin, kung wala siguro sila ay wala na rin ako. God works in mysterious ways,” he added. And even after he got rich in boxing, Manny said the riches and fame never got to his head. Many say he has remained humble, and is now even more humble when he professed to have accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
“ Sa buhay ko, hinde lang milyon ang nahawakan ko, billions of pesos. Nakilala ako sa mundo. Pero I know I am just a steward of the Lord. Don’t focus your mind and heart in material things, we’re all just stewards,” he said. He said the most important decision he made in his life is knowing the Lord and believing that God is with him day and night, every minute of his life.
“Siya lang ang may-ari sa buhay ko, di ‘ko madadala ang mga things sa buhay ko when I go back to dust,” he added.
And to his detractors and those who either criticize him or does not believe him because of his faith, he has this message, “We are Filipino. Magkaisa tayong lahat, when somebody committed a sin against you, let’s forgive them, as the Lord forgives us in our sins.”
Though the eight division world champion failed to knock out Algieri, he was knocked down by Pacquiao six times to win a unanimous decision victory and keep his WBO welterweight belt.
Pacquiao’s next fight may be against Ruslan Provodnikov, Juan Manuel Marquez who he will face for the fifth time, or finally, Floyd Mayweather Jr.